Donna Tartt

Richard Papen had never been to New England before his nineteenth year. Then he arrived at Hampden College and quickly became seduced by the sweet, dark rhythms of campus life – in particular by an elite group of five students, Greek scholars, worldly, self-assured, and at first glance, highly unapproachable.

The Secret History 

Syrina Akbari

And how did they drive people mad? They turned up the volume of the inner monologue, magnified qualities already present to great access, made people so much themselves that they couldn’t stand it.

Shriyah 

It was shocking to hear him speak of her with such intimacy. Pluto and Persephone.

Truly deserving of the accolade Modern Classic, Donna Tartt's cult bestseller The Secret History is a remarkable achievement - both compelling and elegant, dramatic and playful.'A haunting, compelling and brilliant piece of fiction' The Times'So irresistible and seductive it's almost a guilty pleasure' GuardianUnder the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and for ever.'Enthralling . . . image the plot of Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment crossed with the story of Euripides' Bacchae set against the backdrop of Bret Easton Ellis's The Rules of Attraction . . . forceful, cerebral and impeccably controlled . . . ferociously well-paced . . . remarkably powerful' The New York Times'Donna Tartt is an amazingly good writer. She's dense, she's allusive. She's a gorgeous storyteller' Stephen KingDonna Tartt was born in Greenwood, Mississippi, and is a graduate of Bennington College. She is the author of the novels The Secret History and The Little Friend, which have been translated into thirty languages, and The Goldfinch.

The Secret History

There is nothing wrong with the love of Beauty. But Beauty – unless she is wed to something more meaningful – is always superficial.

💌

Any action, in the fullness of time, sinks to nothingness

Beauty is terror. We want to be devoured by it, to hide ourselves in that fire which refines us.

“Beauty is rarely soft or consolatory. Quite the contrary. Genuine beauty is always quite alarming.”

Paige Leitner

Henry smoothed the crumpled map against the table with the flat of his palm. "There, you're wrong," he said. "If we attempt to order events too meticulously, to arrive at point X via a logical trail, it follows that the logical trail can be picked up at point X and followed back to us. Reason is always apparent to a discerning eye. But luck? It's invisible, erratic, angelic. What could possibly be better, from our point of view, than allowing Bunny to choose the circumstances of his own death?"

trezaa

Forgive me, for all the things I did but mostly for the ones I did not.

I told Henry what the doctor had said. He was displeased. Frowning, he made some curt remark- actually, I'm surprised I've forgotten it, I was so embarrassed- and I never mentioned it again. I think he did save me, though. And someplace, if there is a place where lists are kept, and credit given, I am sure there is a gold star by his name. 

But I am getting sentimental. Sometimes, when I think about these things, I do. 

Even more terrible, as we grow older, to learn that no person, no matter how beloved, can ever truly understand us. Our own selves make us most unhappy, and that's why we're so anxious to lose them, don't you think?

But though I can digress with the best of them, I am nothing in my soul if not obsessive.

Aimee :)

Henry kissed Camilla again. 'I love you,' he said. Then he said, out loud: 'Come in.'

The door flew open. Henry raised the arm with the gun. He's going to shoot them, I thought, dazed; the innkeeper and his wife, behind him, thought the same thing, because they froze about three steps into the room - but then I heard Camilla scream, No, Henry! and, too late, I realized what he was going to do.

He put the pistol to his temple and fired, twice. Two flat cracks. They slammed his head to the left. It was the kick of the gun, I think, that triggered the second shot.

I put my hand over the hole in my shirt. Bending forward slightly, I felt a sharp pain. I expected everyone to stop and look at me. No one did. I wondered if I should call it to their attention.

It was Charles. He stood in the doorway, blinking drunkenly around the room, and I was so surprised and glad to see him that it was a moment before I realized that he had a gun.

'Capsules, too,' said Charles. ‘No telling what he filled them with.'

But he wouldn't even have to, that was the evil thing. I remembered, with a sick feeling, having tried to impress upon Henry how dangerous these were when mixed with liquor.

I remember only one other thing, which was its closing line, and the only thing I saw which struck a pang at me: 'Please Help me, this is why I wrote you, you are the only person that can.'

'Except that my life, for the most part, has been very stale and colorless. Dead, I mean. The world has always been an empty place to me. I was incapable of enjoying even the simplest things. I felt dead in everything I did.

He brushed the dirt from his hands. 'But then it changed, he said. 'The night I killed that man.'

Because they couldn't have done it without me.

Bunny had come to me, and I had delivered him right into Henry's hands. And I hadn't even thought twice about it.

‘You were the alarm bell, Richard, Henry had said. I knew if he told anybody, he'd tell you first. And now that he has, feel that we're in for an extremely rapid progression of events,’

An extremely rapid progression of events. My flesh crawled. remembering the ironic, almost humorous twist he'd put on the last words - oh, God, I thought, my God, how could I have listened to him?

I wished I could stop myself from thinking. But all sorts of things had begun to occur to me. For instance: why had Henry let me in on this, only two months (it seemed years, a lifetime) before? Because it was obvious, now, that his decision to tell me was a calculated move. He had appealed to my vanity, allowing me to think I'd figured it out by myself (good for you, he'd said, leaning back in his chair; I could still remember the look on his face as he'd said it, good for you, you're just as smart as I'd thought you were); and I had congratulated myself in the glow of his praise, when in fact - I saw this now, I'd been too vain to see it then - he'd led me right to it, coaxing and flattering all the way. Perhaps- the thought crawled over me like a cold sweat - perhaps even my preliminary, accidental discovery had been engineered. The lexicon that had been misplaced, for instance: had Henry stolen it, knowing I'd come back for it? And the messy apartment I was sure to walk into; the flight numbers and so forth left deliberately, so it now seemed, by the phone; both were oversights unworthy of Henry. Maybe he'd wanted me to find out. Maybe he'd divined in me - correctly - this cowardice, this hideous pack instinct which would enable me to fall into step without question.

Now it made me sick, knowing there was no way out. I was stuck with them, with all of them, for good.

He came up behind her and laid his hands on her shoulders; bending low, he put his lips close to the nape of her neck. "How about a kiss for your jailbird brother?" he said.

She turned halfway, as if to touch her lips to his cheek, but he sid a palm down her back and tipped her face up to his and kissed her full on the mouth - not a brotherly kiss…

'Are you kidding? The idea of that fucking bacchanal in the first place - who thought of that? Whose idea was it to take Bunny to Italy? Who the hell wrote that diary and left it lying around? The son of a bitch. I blame every bit of this on him.

Besides, you have no idea how close they were to finding us out."

…to buy a bottle of wine, and wandering down to the riverbank to drink it, then roaming around drunk all the rest of those glorious, golden, blazing afternoons - a waste of time, I was behind in school, there were papers to write and exams coming up but still I was young; the grass was green and the air was heavy with the sound of bees and I had just come back from the brink of Death itself, back to the sun and air. Now was free; and my life, which I had thought was lost, stretched our indescribably precious and sweet before me.

'Anything is grand if it's done on a large enough scale," said Henry.

i finished it. after almost a decade of my first read and almost a decade of intense dislike for this book i decided to give it another try because first of all, most of my friends wanted to eviscerate me for even mentioning a single bad word about this book and secondly, i grew up. i am not the same person i was at 15, i don't have the same taste (kinda... but shush) and i also don't think differently. so i figured i'd enjoy this more this time around, which i DID. do not get me wrong.

i did enjoy it a whole lot more this time than the first time around, however i still couldn't find myself to thoroughly like or even love it.

i chose to rate this three stars instead of the initial two because, as we say 

il faut laisser à césar ce qui appartient à césar

, the writing was absolutely divine. i was just flying through this book and found myself deeply immersed in donna tartt's words. 

i struggled with the characters though, i know this is the goal. i know they're not good people, i know francis is an unreliable narrator but i found them all to be absolutely insufferable. don't get me started on henry, i know he's a beloved favourite but i just couldn't. i had to roll my eyes everytime he popped up. he had his moments of course, they all did. i enjoyed them in some parts and absolutely loathed them in others, which i'm aware is a normal reaction to have.

but i wanted to like them! i wanted to get more attached to this book, i really tried! and at first i thought i would, but ultimately i didn't. i feel like it mostly fell flat. at least for me. but i tried to repent myself and i think i did! 

all in all, i somewhat understand the cult around this book, it's so well written and i understand it's a staple. it just wasn't for me.

florine

does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? i used to think it didn't. now i think it does. and i think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.


i finished it. after almost a decade of my first read and almost a decade of intense dislike for this book i decided to give it another try because first of all, most of my friends wanted to eviscerate me for even mentioning a single bad word about this book and secondly, i grew up. i am not the same person i was at 15, i don't have the same taste (kinda... but shush) and i also don't think differently. so i figured i'd enjoy this more this time around, which i DID. do not get me wrong.
i did enjoy it a whole lot more this time than the first time around, however i still couldn't find myself to thoroughly like or even love it.

i chose to rate this three stars instead of the initial two because, as we say il faut laisser à césar ce qui appartient à césar, the writing was absolutely divine. i was just flying through this book and found myself deeply immersed in donna tartt's words. 

i struggled with the characters though, i know this is the goal. i know they're not good people, i know francis is an unreliable narrator but i found them all to be absolutely insufferable. don't get me started on henry, i know he's a beloved favourite but i just couldn't. i had to roll my eyes everytime he popped up. he had his moments of course, they all did. i enjoyed them in some parts and absolutely loathed them in others, which i'm aware is a normal reaction to have.
but i wanted to like them! i wanted to get more attached to this book, i really tried! and at first i thought i would, but ultimately i didn't. i feel like it mostly fell flat. at least for me. but i tried to repent myself and i think i did! 

all in all, i somewhat understand the cult around this book, it's so well written and i understand it's a staple. it just wasn't for me.

Mia Hamilton

I don't know how I felt about this. Like, I didn't dislike it, I definitely can see why people like it, I just think it's a bit overhyped.

It definitely could've been shortened, there were a lot of conversations and things going on that were unnecessary for the plot imo. 

I liked the plot itself. I don't think I liked any of the characters but I definitely can see that I probably wasn't supposed to.

I think overall I felt this was a good book, just a bit unnecessarily long. 

Lior 🌸Lily🌸 Sasson

I don't know how I felt about this. Like, I didn't dislike it, I definitely can see why people like it, I just think it's a bit overhyped.

It definitely could've been shortened, there were a lot of conversations and things going on that were unnecessary for the plot imo. 

I liked the plot itself. I don't think I liked any of the characters but I definitely can see that I probably wasn't supposed to.

I think overall I felt this was a good book, just a bit unnecessarily long. 

This was my second Tartt novel and I found I thoroughly enjoy her style of writing. While at times a bit overstrechted, I definitely get the hype around this book and will most likely read it again sometime to grasp it entirely 

Lili

jesus christ what a ride. now, i admit i started it pretty disinterested until somewhere around chapter 2, when the pace picked up and i couldn't, for the love of god, tear myself away from this book. i don't care if this is the title book of the booktok community, this book is every word worth the hype! and it's so well written too, it's hard not like it (writing style is something i've learnt not to take for granted when it comes to modern fiction).

i must say however, since many readers tend to be wired that way nowadays, that this isn't the book for you if you're looking for likeable characters. all of them were pretty messed up in their own way, which to be fair adds to its appeal.

jesus christ what a ride. now, i admit i started it pretty disinterested until somewhere around chapter 2, when the pace picked up and i couldn't, for the love of god, tear myself away from this book. i don't care if this is the title book of the booktok community, this book is every word worth the hype! and it's so well written too, it's hard not like it (writing style is something i've learnt not to take for granted when it comes to modern fiction).

i must say however, since many readers tend to be wired that way nowadays, that this isn't the book for you if you're looking for likeable characters. all of them were pretty messed up in their own way, which to be fair adds to its appeal.

Tajemna historia

Maja

Nie mam słów. Nigdy nie przestanę myśleć o tej książce. Arcydzieło

i literally dont know what i just read but i donot understand the hype ???? incest???? weird rich mfs???? people who literally gasped at parts of this book,,, did we read the same book? like it was so boring nothing horrific/shocking about it

Rocío de la Hera

La primera línea de este libro es muy conocida. “Does such a thing as ‘the fatal flaw’, that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist ouside literature?” El narrador dice que sí y que la suya, la característica que siempre hace que se mande cagadas, es una búsqueda constante de lo pintoresco. Bueno, luego de leer la novela yo creo, Richie, que es el hecho de que ni vos ni tus amigos conocen el concepto de morfar algo. Toda la novela salteandose comidas, diciendo “es viernes, me di cuenta mientras olia el cafe que no habia comido nada desde el miercoles” Comé algo sólido, forro, por eso todos los quilombos que se armaron. Todo el tiempo en pedo y desnutridos.
Más allá de eso, totalmente inverosímil para mi estilo de vida y el de mis conocidos, ya entiendo porque dicen que es el original best seller. Realmente no podés parar de leer para ver qué van a hacer estos chetos desequilibrados.
Estuvo muy bien, lo que hizo que me gustara realmente fueron las constantes referencias a la mitología griega y al mundito literario. 
Digno.

a year and five months later and i’m finally finished. getting through this was quite tough, i put it off for a while because i struggled getting past the first hundred. i really wanted to get it over with this year, so i had the idea of listening to the audiobook while reading the physical copy. it gets better after a hundred, i promise!

we have flawed, problematic, sometimes annoying characters who might as well have given me an aneurysm and stroke. it was a rollercoaster to see how they justified their actions, how actual crimes were twisted and swept under the rug. you’re left analysing every detail presented despite the narrator being unreliable (well, i think he is). you’re left shocked with these revelations and decisions, baffled by some dialogue that feels like came out of nowhere, and impressed by their quick wit and version of humour.

i see why people like it and why some others dropped it. i almost did too, but who am i if not someone who sees things through the end because she already started it and has severe fomo?

all in all 3.5 stars. glad that’s out of my hair!

a year and five months later and i’m finally finished. getting through this was quite tough, i put it off for a while because i struggled getting past the first hundred. i really wanted to get it over with this year, so i had the idea of listening to the audiobook while reading the physical copy. it gets better after a hundred, i promise!

we have flawed, problematic, sometimes annoying characters who might as well have given me an aneurysm and stroke. it was a rollercoaster to see how they justified their actions, how actual crimes were twisted and swept under the rug. you’re left analysing every detail presented despite the narrator being unreliable (well, i think he is). you’re left shocked with these revelations and decisions, baffled by some dialogue that feels like came out of nowhere, and impressed by their quick wit and version of humour.

i see why people like it and why some others dropped it. i almost did too, but who am i if not someone who sees things through the end because she already started it and has severe fomo?

all in all 3.5 stars. glad that’s out of my hair!

Margaret

Un piccolo raffinato college nel Vermont. Cinque ragazzi ricchi e viziati e il loro insegnante di greco antico, un esteta che esercita sugli allievi una forte seduzione spirituale. A loro si aggiunge un giovane piccolo borghese squattrinato. In pigri weekend consumati tra gli stordimenti di alcol, droga e sottili giochi d'amore, torna a galla il ricordo di un crimine di inaudita violenza. Per nascondere il quale è ora necessario commeterne un altro ancora più spietato...

Dio di illusioni

Joey

Che trip allucinogeno assurdo!! Ho odiato fortemente tutti, TUTTI, i marmocchi viziati e, soprattutto, quell'insegnate penoso ma ragazzi se l'ho divorato! Magico! È stata una allucinazione collettiva di quelle pesantissime.

Dio di illusioni definibile anche dio di ALLUCINAZIONI. Collettive e pure pesanti. Non sapevo a cosa andavo in contro con questo libro, non ho mai letto nulla della Tartt ma ho letto molte lodi a suo nome. Erano in promozione e che fai, te ne privi? Ovvio che no. E quindi eccoci. L'ho letto in un giorno. UN GIORNO, la maggior parte di sera perché boh, ero ispirata. E l'ho concluso e ritengo sia stata una allucinazioni, pesante anche. Bello eh, per carità. Ma i marmocchi mi sono stati sul cazzo dalla prima parola all'ultima. 600+ pagine di puro delirio. Magico! Bellissimo sì. Ora spero solo che "il cardellino" sia altrettanto bello.

truly speechless, put off reading this for way too long and i’m so glad i finally did 

mallorie 🦌

Absolutely incredible. This book evoked so many different emotions from me. There were hardly any points where I was bored and the whole plot was intriguing throughout. I think the beauty is also that you get such a view into the minds of the characters, which, it was incredible to see the development in the minds of the characters as the story progresses. A modern classic for a reason.

Kiran Aftab

** spoiler alert **
           I really was not prepared for what was about to unfold. People told me that it got crazy and I doubted them and oh boy look where we are now. It was very interesting to see how characters changed overtime due to overwhelming amounts of pressure. I really disliked Bunny the second he made that homophobic comment, but then I found myself sympathizing with him and I kind of forgot how awful he truly was at one point because of the events that took place. All of the characters showed their true selves at the end and my god that was ugly. The only two who didn't piss me off in the end were Francis and Camilla. The book fluctuated from suprisingly calm to literally all of the chaos possible which was kind of amazing. This book was written very well and I really liked how everything was put together.

Matt Eaves

Interesting read. Captivating at the start but wanes in the middle. Brings you back in the end however, so a worthwhile read. - M

Donna Tartt, you have won me over. Saved me out of my reading slump. 

Silva

Abbie Duggan

I’ve never been to Vermont or studied the Classics, but now I feel like I have. This book is expertly written and full of details - albeit, details found to be extraneous by some reviewers - that pull you completely into the mindset of the character of Richard. Even through to the last page I couldn’t tell if I was along for the ride as the reader, of if I had been played by the other characters in the same way Richard had. 

This is a beautiful story about people and how our view of the world can be shaped by those we surround ourselves with. I found myself in a continual comparison to Richard; wondering if I would make the same horrible choices he was making. Given his circumstances, I can’t say I would have done anything differently, which is exactly what makes this book so horrifyingly brilliant. 

Wonderful read!

Andrea Morales

one of my favorite books of all time, i think about this book every 2 business days and every time i think about it i find new things to love. 

i could rave about it all day (and i have). it’s one of the only books to ever make me physically ill while reading it, i got so immersed in the setting and the plot and i felt like i really was just another greek student following Henry around. 

the classics references, the writing, the foreshadowing and parallels to greek tragedies
the characters!!! the dialogue !!! THE ENDING !!!
everything feels so well thought out and donna tartt is a GENIUS for writing such a layered and transcending book.

this book has really set the bar for my next 5 star reads, i am yet to find another story to fall in love with as hard as i did with this one (while simultaneously hate it for turning me into a mess).

Amanda

“And what is beauty? Terror” 

I hadn’t realized how powerful that quote was until now. And I couldn’t figure out what it meant really until I finished the entire book. Beauty is terror. 
But I think I know now. 
The characters are described as lyrical, beautiful, and almost unhuman entities. And you fall deeply in love with the romanticism of it all.
The collage, the characters, the way they dress, their studies. It’s all beautiful I fell in love with it.
But then slowly everything becomes quite raw, the way the characters think becomes distorted, and wrong. They become cold, just as the landscape feels darker and more isolated. And you can’t help but forget what is so terrible about that way of thinking.
Because it’s still beautiful and elegant, and you want to be included in it. And that is what it means... Beauty is terror. Because your not quite sure what is beautiful and what is terrible anymore.

tori 👻

“Death is the mother of beauty,” said Henry. “And what is beauty?” “Terror.” 


When I finished the last page I was overwhelmed by the thought of not knowing how to move on to another book after this one.
I can undoubtedly understand why some would loathe this story, as I can undoubtedly understand why others love it. I identify as the latter.
The Secret History involved me deeply with classic references and the beautiful way Donna Tartt writes. The characters are fantastical in a poetic way and even though I don't believe Richard to be a very reliable source of storytelling, it was interesting nonetheless.
It is also incredibly exciting to be exposed to the who-dunnit right at the start and have the story around the why. I personally loved Henry and adored Camilla.
This was a wonderful read, definitely one of my favorites this year. Maybe even one of my favorites entirely. The structure of Tartt's storytelling amazed me and I found myself involved with the characters in a very deep way, rooting for some and actually wanting to punch others in the face. It was easy to get lost in the narration and forget about all else for hours other than the six students of Ancient Greek.
I'm really glad I picked this up. I can see myself reading this again in the future.


“And if beauty is terror,” said Julian, “then what is desire? We think we have many desires, but in fact we have only one. What is it?” 
“To live,” said Camilla. 
“To live forever,” said Bunny"

I’m going to be honest, i’m a bit disappointed. I had really high expectations, and the book is often compared to ‘If We Were Villains’ which i absolutely loved. However, at points i found myself liking then disliking characters to eventually only somewhat liking our main character Richard and Francis. I also feel like some of it could’ve been explained better, 

 like why they chose to kill Bunny, i also wish that was talked about more and in more detail 

 The plot did get boring at times, and i did get annoyed at the main character’s seemingly lack of personality? I also don’t fully understand why Henry chose to do what he did in the end, when the whole book was them fearing discovery. But, i did find things i liked, so it was enjoyable.

I’m going to be honest, i’m a bit disappointed. I had really high expectations, and the book is often compared to ‘If We Were Villains’ which i absolutely loved. However, at points i found myself liking then disliking characters to eventually only somewhat liking our main character Richard and Francis. I also feel like some of it could’ve been explained better, spoilers like why they chose to kill Bunny, i also wish that was talked about more and in more detail no spoilers The plot did get boring at times, and i did get annoyed at the main character’s seemingly lack of personality? I also don’t fully understand why Henry chose to do what he did in the end, when the whole book was them fearing discovery. But, i did find things i liked, so it was enjoyable.

carolina

this book didn't do it for me, I found it incredible slow for absolutely no reason... I was excited about the plot and for the action to finally start, I understand the pace is slow but here it seems like the pace is non existent!

honestly felt nauseous the entire 2 days of reading it. i hated it but i also couldn't stop reading it. it was good but it also was so terrible it made me feel sick in my stomach. it's a good book on its own way. but i certainly wouldn't want to re-read it again.

The Secret History

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